Awkward
by stringsofwords09
Summary: A completely alternate meeting of Bash and Mary.


The journey had taken its toll. She inspected her reflection in the mirror, scowling at her ruddy cheeks and weary eyes. Hours of travel, and now all she wanted to do was relax.

"What's that frown, Mary?" asked Lola curiously. The other girls looked up from their gleeful unpacking of Mary's belongings. She gave them a tired smile, and plopped down onto the bed. "I need to rest. It's remarkable how hours of sitting in one place can be so _tiring_." She lay back with her arms spread behind her, and the girls laughed.

"Why don't you take a hot bath?" Kenna suggested, holding a long pearl necklace against her neck. "Nothing energizes me like a good soak." She admired her reflection in the mirror. "Sounds well deserved, Mary" said Lola, and the other girls chorused their agreement in unison.

"That's not a bad idea," Mary said thoughtfully. She propped herself up on her elbows. "There's a giant hot water pool in one of the far off corridors. I'll ask a guard to escort me there. Maybe you girls should go and relax, as well." They nodded, but Lola came to sit near Mary. "Don't you want us to help you?" she asked respectfully, but Mary shook her head.

"Lola, I insist. The journey was tiring for all of us. I'll be fine on my own."

She hummed as she walked, trying to ignore the hulking armored guards walking behind her. Sure, she was a queen, and the attempted poisoning had been a grave warning, but were the French really expecting her enemies at every moment, inside the castle? Asking for directions to the hot pools from her guard had been a huge mistake. He had ordered three more to walk with him, and Mary felt like a prisoner walking in the center of their stupid box formation. France was very different than her home at the convent.

They soon reached the bath house, and came upon a young servant at the entranceway. He looked at them in surprise, and moved to block the door.

"Step aside," Mary's head guard commanded. "We are escorting Queen Mary in to the pools."

"Your majesty," the guard said, bowing at her and quickly standing again. "If it is alright with you, would you mind wait-"

"She will not _wait_ for anyone," her guard said roughly. "Move!"

"You don't understand," the younger guard pleaded, remaining in his place, "she cannot just-"

"Silence!" Mary's guard snapped. "This is the Queen of Scotland! Run along now, boy, you're dismissed."

Mary watched helplessly as the young servant tried to speak up, to no avail. She wanted to interrupt, but did not feel very sure of herself. He looked at Mary with beseeching eyes, and opened his mouth, as if to try and explain himself. Her guard would not have it. "Run along, I say!"

And with one, apologetic glance back at Mary and the door to the bath, the young lad scampered down the hallway. Mary watched him go, and turned back to her men. She would never get used to this, she realized. The two guards in front motioned her forward, and so she dully stepped inside the doorway. "I'd prefer to be alone, inside," she said, gathering her authority. Yet, she still felt like a child, ordering around these grown men.

They nodded, turning red, and Mary found it amusing how swiftly they switched from menacing to self-conscious. She stepped inside fully, and closed the door behind her. It was a relief to be alone, for once.

"Well, that was quite a show."

Mary jumped, and looked around for a person to match the voice. "Who's there!" she called loudly. "Reveal yourself!"

"Down here."

She looked down at the foot of the large pool, where a green eyed man grinned up at her. "Oh!" she said in surprise. He was completely submerged, save for the top of his head. It was easy to miss a person, with the floor of the pool lined in a dark stone.

"Sebastian, I – so that's why he…" She trailed off, unsure how to proceed. There was no preparation for a situation like this.

"Your majesty?" a guard called, banging on the door. "Is everything alright?"

Sebastian looked up at her, and his eyes flickered in amusement. He patiently waited for her to answer them, and Mary was somewhat dumbfounded. How embarrassing, if they burst in here now…

"Yes," she called back, still timid. "Just talking to myself… I'm fine in here."

_What a dumb answer,_ she realized, mortified. Talking to herself? "Good save," Sebastian told her, dunking his head under the water, and bobbing back up again. Was he being sarcastic? He moved a bit closer. "Did you hope to bathe alone?"

Mary nodded, and wondered if she should turn around to give him privacy. "That was a stupid question," he sighed, swimming to the shallow end of the water so that his torso was exposed. He was lean, and it suited him. Kenna had nailed it on the head, Sebastian most certainly was a gorgeous specimen. He put his hands at the stone ledge by her feet. "Of course you expected to be alone. Would you like me to leave now?"

He pushed his wet bangs out of his eyes, and some droplets splashed the bottom of her dress. Mary blushed, and shook her head wildly. "No! Don't leave!" she exclaimed. He raised his eyebrows at her, and she noticed a shadow of a smirk grace his lips. He must find this amusing…

"I mean, please, don't show yourself to my guards."

"Ah," he said, understanding, "this is not a place to be spotted, for a queen, in a bath with another gentleman."

"I'd rather not explain this to them, even if it is all a misunderstanding" she said slowly. "They practically ripped your guard to bits out there."

"He didn't do a very good job, did he?" Sebastian commented with a laugh. Mary smiled back at him, feeling relieved. How completely natural she felt now with him, even in the most embarrassing of circumstances. And he wasn't even remotely upset with her.

"Well, then. How shall we proceed, Your Grace?" he looked up at her curiously. He more patient than she deserved.

"Please, Sebastian, call me Mary," she asked. Was this really the time to be concerned about titles? Yet, she hated the idea of him addressing her so formally. It bothered her.

"Alright then, Mary. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I believe this intimate encounter grants you the right to call me Bash. And, I do hope our next meeting is a touch less awkward, for you."

She noticed _he_ didn't seem fazed by all this, as she was, and wondered how she could ruffle his feathers. A small part of her wanted to see how he would react if she stripped down, and got into the bath this very moment. It was almost tempting.

But she was a queen, as the crown on her head and her guards were constantly reminding her; that behavior would never be acceptable.

"There is another exit, it leads to another corridor," he continued, oblivious to her internal ponderings. "I can slip out from there, unnoticed. If you'll give me a few moments to dress, of course."

Mary spun around, and waited. She picked at the braids in her hair. "Tell me when," she called. She heard him splashing as he got out of the pool. "I'm very sorry about this," she apologized. "Making you leave this way… almost like a criminal."

"I'd be a very successful criminal, I'd like to think. I'm decent. You can turn around."

She did, and found him standing behind her, dressed simply in riding clothes. He was very fast. "You look…clean," she said, grasping at words. She was an idiot, she decided. Bash chuckled, and gestured at the water. "The pool awaits."

"Thank you, Seb – I mean, Bash. Really."

"Until next time, Mary."


End file.
